The president of the island institution, Llorenç Galmés, and the president of the government, Marga Prohens, have signed the agreement of the “Pact for water” to open a specific line of aid for the municipalities.
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19.3 million euros to the island’s towns to guarantee water supply
The Consell de Mallorca and the Govern de les Illes Balears have signed a collaboration agreement this Friday for the implementation of the “Pact for Water” project, by which the island institution will have a global allocation of 19.3 million euros to be used for direct aid to the towns on the island for the implementation of specific projects to improve the urban water supply to the population.
Under this agreement, the Consejería del Mar and Water Cycle transfers 14,296,000 euros to the Consell de Mallorca, which will be added to the 5,000,000 euros that the island institution will contribute to co-finance the project, bringing the total to around 20 million euros.
Thus, the agreement will be materialised in 2024 within the scope of local cooperation competencies, through a specific line of aid that the Department of Economic Promotion and Local Development will launch in the coming months, for the co-financing of actions aimed at improving the supply network, related to water purification facilities and supply networks, among others.
The president of the Consell de Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, and the president of the regional executive, Marga Prohens, signed the agreement at a ceremony attended by the councillor for Economic Promotion and Local Development, Pilar Amate; the councillor for the Treasury and Public Function, Pilar Bonet, and the councillor for the Sea and Water Cycle, Juan Manuel Lafuente.
The president of the Consell, Llorenç Galmés, explained that one of the commitments made at the beginning of the legislature with the mayors was “the signing of this agreement to make one of their historic demands a reality: the improvement of water supplies”.
We know that one of the main concerns expressed by the mayors is the need to optimise the water supply and repair leaks in the distribution networks. As a result of this agreement, we will shortly publish a call for aid applications aimed at all the town councils, which will consist of an annual economic contribution that will be maintained throughout the legislature”, added Galmés.
In addition, the president pointed out that “we cannot allow 27% of drinking water to be lost through the distribution network due to the poor state of the infrastructures. A figure that in some municipalities is as high as 60%”.
Action to be taken
By the agreement, the Department of the Sea and Water Cycle approved the proposal of the Commission for the Promotion of Sustainable Tourism, by which the actions financed with funds from the CAIB must favour sustainable tourism corresponding to the 2023 Annual Plan, referred to in the “Pact for Water”.
The specific line of aid establishes that the funds may be used for the following actions: detection and repair of leaks to prevent losses, installation of digital meters, sectorisation of supply networks, construction/extension of regulation devices and associated infrastructures, construction of new wells, guarantee wells and reserve wells and associated infrastructures, installation, improvement and extension of water purification infrastructures and any others that increase the guarantee of supply in normal or drought conditions.
Actions will be eligible for funding if they are initiated and executed between 28 March 2023 and 28 March 2028 and a technical and legal report is required to determine that the projects presented are eligible for funding under the resolution of the Strategic Tourism Agency of the Balearic Islands (AETIB).